Have not heard much about anyone here buying stocks for the dividends. Some lure you to buy because they pay a good dividend but the stock doesn't do to well so you slowly go backwards. Some are a solid stock that also pays dividends. I'm looking hard at IBM and AT&T. Right now I have both and will probably increase shares in both. INTC(intel) is the other sleeping giant that has my attention.
Generally, the higher a dividend payout is, the worse the stock is going to perform. There are very few that beat that rule. Right now, energy comes to mind, but energy has been chronically undervalued since the great reset began, and is only now getting to where it should have been all along.
Don't use dividends to make money, use them as performance indicators. You'll be hard pressed to find a loser among companies that raise their dividends by at least the inflation rate every single year.
If you wanna find the juggernauts, look for the growth and income stocks that yield under 2.5% and have a history of raising their dividend every single year. Quite possibly the best ever on this front is Home Depot, but there are others that also swim among the champions. The Tractor Supply Company just reported today, and they came through with a blowout quarter. Beat on sales, beat on profit, raised full year guidance, and
massively hiked the dividend, again.
They hike every year, and every year, the hike outruns inflation by a good margin. They ought to really take off once the spring stimulus check is announced. I've got my fingers crossed for $3,000/person.